Paire, NMI U18 keep clean slates

The NMI Boys U18 National Team’s Dev Bachani, left, gets tangled with Kanoa Football Club’s Andrew Sablan as they battle for possession during their game in the Marianas Soccer League last Thursday at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville. (Contributed photo)

The NMI Boys U18 National Team and Paire Football Club eased past their respective opponents to remain undefeated in the Marianas Soccer League Summer Season last week at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville.

Paire made it three in a row and kept the top spot in the team standings following a 3-0 triumph over cellar dweller Old B Bank last Sunday. Steve McKagan, Ajani Burrell, and Mareko Tekopua scored for Paire with the former earning his goal early in the fifth minute. Burrell registered his goal in the 24th minute, while Tekopua hit he board 20 minutes later. Paire handed Old B Bank its fourth loss in as many matches.

NMI U18 had an easy win in the MSL last Thursday after dominating Kanoa Football Club, 8-1. Aloy Angeles, Taka Borja, and Kaden Church delivered two goals apiece for the NMI U18, which moved up to second place in the team standings with its two 2-0-0 win-draw-loss record. Brian Lubao and Kohtaro Goto tallied the other goals for the NMI U18, while Andruw Omelau made the lone goal for Kanoa, which absorbed its second defeat against one victory.

The NMU U18 coasted to its second win after going all out in the second half where the team scored six goals. Church nailed his pair in the second half with the first goal posted in the 59th minute and the second and last in the 72nd. Borja got his goal in the second half in 63rd minute to go with his first conversion in the 24th. Angeles, who closed out for the NMI U18 in the first half with his goal in the 41st minute, also had the last say for the team when he logged his second goal in the 74th.

TanHoldings Football Club players form a wall to defend against a free kick from Kanoa Football Club during their game in the Marianas Soccer League last Thursday at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville. (Contributed photo)

TanHoldings 3, Kanoa 2

In the other MSL match last Sunday, Martin Jambor bagged a pair of goals to lift TanHoldings to a close win over Kanoa.

Jambor hit his target in the 35th minute for TanHoldings’ first goal and he also knocked in the go-ahead penalty shot in the 89th. After Jambor’s goal in the first half, TanHoldings made it a 2-0 lead, thanks to Jershwin Angeles’ goal in the 53rd minute.

After a long dry spell, Kanoa knotted the count, as it mounted a late comeback and drilled back-to-back goals in a span of four minutes with Ruselle Zapanta and Jhoey Noble scoring in the 76th and 80th minute, respectively. However, Kanoa’s last-ditch effort fell short in the end when Jambor came to TanHoldings’ rescue with a PK conversion in the closing minutes of the match.

TanHoldings got its second win, quickly bouncing back from a defeat at the hands of Paire in Week 2 of the league.

Meanwhile, games in the MSL 2 were played last weekend and results will be reported in Saipan Tribune’s Friday edition.